


Beginning

by FollowerOfAnhamirak



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV), The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Alternian Invasion, Angst and Humor, Discrimination, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-10-11 14:50:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20547956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FollowerOfAnhamirak/pseuds/FollowerOfAnhamirak
Summary: One choice changes everything. Hannah taught me that.The question is figuring out if it is the right choice.The Gifted and 13 Reasons Why crossover. Season 1 of the Gifted merges with 13 Reasons Why season 2. Criticism welcome, but keep it constructive. Story should be better then summary. Let me know.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

**Entry 1 **

**Hi, My name is Ian Saleh Ondore and if you are reading this then I am no longer around and if that is the case, enjoy this little compilation of mine. Odds are Sentinel services got me due to some of my less than legal activities, making my final words something close to ...contraband…. I think. In that case I beg of you to keep these recordings safe, because this is probably the only thing that will be left of me. Big favor, I know, especially for a mutant criminal to ask of a human. **

**I bet you are wondering why I am making such a big deal out of this but if you are a halfway decent human being and had mutant friends after 7/15 then you get what the big deal is with me asking this favor. Even a mutant with a benign ability and no obvious outward markings was no longer safe after the disaster. New anti-mutant laws were passed, prominent mutants were ruined or simply vanished, even the X-Men, heroes even among humans, disappeared. Sucky day for the mutant community in a nutshell. **

**I was one of the lucky ones, but like it always does, life happened. These pages are my story, and for a long time, they were my only solace. As you read about me you will learn about my life in Evergreen and my time at Liberty High and, if you are particularly discerning, my dealings with the Mutant Underground. I’m no fool. If this journal fell into the wrong hands it would be disastrous but as it happens I was very good with codes and languages. Now sit back and enjoy the ride, because this story is a long one that many would certainly find very interesting. **


	2. Saleh

_ The day everything changed was when I became confronted with the reality of Hannah’s suicide. Now at this point some of you might be wondering what a dead girl has to do with the life of a freedom fighter/terrorist but Hannah had everything to do with that. In fact I would venture to say that Hannah was the reason for everything that I did afterwards. It’s funny how things work like that. How one seemingly random thing triggers a chain of events that turn into a storm that can rip everything apart. That's chaos theory for you though. You should look it up. It’ll help everything make sense. _

* * *

Saleh stared numbly at the poster across from his locker, briefly wondering if this was really the best the school could do in terms of offering emotional support. It wasn’t even that good poster, just a piece of plain white poster board that was decorated with cheap bright colored markers saying “Suicide isn’t an option”. at the bottom of it was the national suicide hotline number. It might have been useful if it weren’t so repellant. In fact, the poster was doing a better job of keeping people from looking at it rather than attracting any attention from anyone who might it need support. Then again it had been Courtney Crimsen who had helped spearhead Liberty’s new mental health initiative and though she held the reputation of a regular preppy overachiever with the predisposition to help other people Saleh couldn’t feel anything other then dismissiveness for her. For all that she could make beautiful decorations and bake amazingly well Saleh could never feel anything that was actually “real” from her.

_ “Then again it could just be because of Hannah,”  _ whispered a quiet voice in his head. Saleh sighed and shut his locker, shouldering his backpack as he headed back to history class. Months may have passed since Hannah had killed herself but nothing seemed to feel right anymore, especially with the upcoming trial between the school and the Bakers. It wasn’t that they had been particularly close or anything -just a few conversations here and there- but Hannah had been the only other living person who knew his secret.

Evergreen didn’t exactly see a lot of muties walking around out in the open despite being located in one of the few remaining states that still acknowledged the term “mutant rights”. God only knew what would happen if anybody got a wind that the only son of the rich Ondore family was a mutant- albeit a human looking one. Actually, Saleh did know what would happen and he shuddered at the thought. Ever since that fiasco in Georgia where some mutant kid had brought down the school gym down during a dance the hammer had yet again fallen down on the mutant community, bringing out all the haters to prey on defenseless mutants. 

Both the Purifiers and Sentinel Services had stepped up their game, cracking down on mutants and mutant sympathizers, shutting down safehouses and free clinics. Anti-mutant politicians were louder then ever now, calling for more effective methods of protecting their communities from the ever growing mutant threat. Benedict Ryan, the nation's leading anti-mutant bigot, had been particularly vocal, demanding that authorities require mutants to be registered with Sentinel Services before even being allowed in public schools. 

_ “Some kids do anything to miss school,”  _ thought Saleh bitterly,  _ “But here we are trying to get in.”  _ Thankfully California was still liberal enough to be a ways away from that, though considering how things were going it wouldn’t be long before another 7/15 happened and mandatory registration became a reality. Mutants in California were already feeling the pressure and Allen knew that if it weren’t for his parents wealth and reputation a few of his more noticeable exploits growing up would have brought the mutant haters to Evergreen. Thankfully, it seemed that he was only one in Evergreen with an X-Gene, meaning that there was little to no threat from Sentinel Services, or worse, Purifiers. With the way things were going, it would be better if he accelerated accelerated his plans.

_ “I wish Hannah were here,”  _ Saleh thought quietly, lightly touching the white scarf that hung around his neck, contrasting sharply against his dusky brown skin tone. It had been a gift from her for his birthday a while back. It was plain, with no embroidery and design, but extremely soft. Just touching it made him feel a little better, calming his frayed nerves. Hannah had been a godsend, a fresh of breath air from the constant fear and panic that only his anxiety medications seemed to keep in check. Except now she was gone and he was…..alone. 

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he felt the guilt wreck his body. Hannah and him may not have been BFF’s but he had cared for her and he wished he could have done something to help her while she was still alive. Maybe if he hadn’t been so self centered he could have helped Hannah somehow, used his powers somehow. But it was too late now for any regrets. Hannah was gone and whatever he could have done was irrelevant. All he could now was keep moving forward. Though that was easier said than done. Plenty of his classmates were being called forth by the court to give testimony for the trial. Jessica Davis, Zach Dempsey, Alex Standall, and Clay Jensen to name a few. Saleh idly wondered which side would call on them. The trial was probably one of the biggest scandals to hit Evergreen in a long time and Saleh had already seen plenty of reporters arriving in town to cover the story. He had even overheard his parents talk about how Hannah’s parents had turned down a two hundred thousand dollar settlement, just as his mother had predicted would happen.

_ “The Bakers are out for blood,” _ his mother had said in one of those few mornings she wasn’t yet at work, “ _ They’re not going to settle for money.” _

Saleh stepped inside History and took in the room, spotting Clay Jensen sitting next to Skye Miller. Both were talking to each other in hushed voices, a sense of uneasy connection rolling off of from them. Seeing the two interact Saleh narrowed his eyes as he saw Skye reaching over her desk to touch Clay's arm gently, whose blue eyes widened in surprise. Seeing the two of them Allen winced at the discomfort that rolled off from the boy. Even without his power Allen knew that that was a relationship that was heading for the dumps. From the rumor mill and what he had gathered via his new powers Skye was not somebody anyone should get involved too deeply with, romantically speaking. The sharp bites of pain on his wrists and general fear in mind that he felt when he was around Skye were like a giant warning sign telling him that. Just the memory of those moments had him shivering in reaction, causing Allen to shake his body quickly. It didn’t do to dwell on moments like that, common as they were.

Without a second thought Allen stuffed his backpack beneath his seat and tried raking his nerves in. Closing his eyes Allen let out a small breath and began counting backwards from ten, reaching four before he lost concentration. Grimacing at his failure, Allen reached into his bag and pulled out his history notebook. Today was not a good day for his powers to be acting up, especially with what he had planned. 

It was gonna be a long day.

* * *

_ I never set out to tell Hannah my secret. It was just one of those things that happened. It wasn't a particularly bad day for me. I wasn't depressed or exhausted. My mind wasn't torn over by obsessive thoughts, trying to find arguments about how I would do this or even if I should. I guess I was just tired of the secrecy behind my X-Gene. Tired of the fears of Purifiers catching me out on the street or of Sentinel Service's breaking down my down and putting a collar on my neck. I was terrified constantly in those days, afraid of what could happen. That day though, well that day I guess I was just tired of hiding. _

_ It was in the fall of our sophomore year and I happened to run into Hannah at Monet's. She was sitting there alone, nursing a hot chocolate by herself. We had spoken a few times before. Hannah was a nice person, funny and sort of out there. She was the sort of person you enjoy having a conversation just for the sake of it. I was just there to pick up a latte and head home but instead of simply leaving I ended up asking if she'd mind having me hanging out with her.  _

_ I should have seen the signs. They were all right there. The silence and awkwardness, the withdrawn demeanor and tired look. The constant feeling of just wanting to be somewhere else, wanting to be anywhere where you didn't have to do or say anything. People say hindsight is twenty/twenty and they are absolutely right. It's all too easy to look back and see all the stuff you should have seen, realizing what you should have done.  _

_ We stayed at Monet's for close to half an hour, talking about school and just complaining about everything. By the time we finished our drinks we decided to take a walk around time. The both of us were having a good time. _

_ We spent hours walking around town, walking and pointing out anything that caught our interest. By the time the sun was beginning to set we ended up sitting down on a bench in one of the parks in Evergreen. By that point we had already cycled through most of the topics we could think about. It was all good and fun and light. None of us spoke about what was really bothering both of us until I did. _

_ “So…. what do you think about what Benedict Ryan’s been saying,” I asked Hannah, the words out of my mouth before I even realized it. I hadn’t even thought about how to bring it up, but Benedict Ryan had just given a particularly scathing rant about mutants the day before and it had still been fresh on my mind.  _

_ Hannah stopped for a moment, her face stunned, and she was silent for a few seconds. I guess I surprised her with my sudden question. Evergreen was isolated enough from problems with mutants that most opted to just ignore things. Still those seconds were the longest in my life, and instead of panicking, as I probably should have, I sat there picking my nails clean.  _

_ “He’s just a stupid bigot that’s stirring up trouble for people. I mean not like all mutants are a threat to society,” Hannah said, her face perfectly serious and sincere as she said those words to me. In all my time in Evergreen I had never heard such a pro-mutant statement said aloud and in such a public area. I wasn’t so mired in self pity so as believe all of the people in town hated mutants. In fact, there were a few people at school who thought the post 7/15 policies and amendments to the Patriot Act were somewhat excessive but still ...there was a pretty good reason that there were no out and proud mutants in Evergreen. _

_ I sat at the bench cleaning my nails for a good minute with Hannah looking at me in confusion. I was shocked at Hannah’s admission, but somehow that was all I felt. There was no fear and in that moment I said the stupidest words I have ever said. _

_ “So you don’t think I’m a threat?” _

_ Hannah was pretty shocked at hearing me admitting that I was a mutant, but her eyes never changed. She didn’t look at me with hate or fear or disgust like some idiots at Liberty who spoke crap about mutants. Ironically, even as I waited for her in turn to speak with me the fear still never came. She just sat there with her mouth wide open and after a few moments she said “So do you breathe fire?” _

_ I laughed and then after Hannah asked me what my powers were I gave her demonstration of my biggest secret. We talked about it for an hour and we exchanged numbers. _

_ I texted her for about three hours in the coming week. _

* * *

The rest of the school day went passed by without any more incidents, the class periods melding into one long continuous stretch of time. By the time school let out Saleh was more than ready to leave and the sensations he had felt from Clay and Skye were the furthest thing from his mind. As soon as the bell rang Allen sprang from his seat and he was out the door just as the stream of students was beginning to form in the hallway. It wasn’t that he had anything in particular to do as he didn't really have a job or any real friends to hang out, but sometimes the sheer volume of people got to him, making his mind burn with intrusive thoughts and images, a situation not at all helped by his abilities. It was for the better that he stayed as far away from people as possible unless otherwise required. 

Once he was through the main doors Saleh reached into his pocket as he walked to the parking lot and pulled out his car keys. Once Saleh reached it he threw his bag into the backseat and slid into the driver's seat. Safely inside Saleh let his shoulders drop and let out a loud sigh, slumping into his seat. Today hadn’t been particularly bad but it still hadn't been a bad day either. 

“ _ I need a log nap.” _ thought Saleh to himself as he slid his car key into the ignition and started his car. These days it seemed that only sleep helped to quiet to anxiety. 

The drive to 1762 Manor Lane was mostly quiet, the silence broken only by the occasional sensation of a tired bird or a sick plant that made Saleh whimper softly. In the months following Hannah’s death is powers had only grown, manifesting in unforeseen ways. This had in turn lead to a massive investment in sleeping aids, medicinal herbs that he could grow in the mostly unused greenhouse, and copious amounts of tea. A visit to the hospital would probably be better than chamomile tea and Dalay but he was low on cash and all it took was one blood test and he would be outed as a mutant to his parents which would result in him being kicked out of the house and disowned. It would be par the course for a mutant but Saleh didn’t particularly relish a life on the streets if could have a life in a mansion with a soft mattress and good food unless a better alternative was available. A bit cowardly perhaps, but smart.

As Saleh pulled into the driveway he noticed that his was the only car in there. It seemed his parents were still working overtime. Considering how late his parents had been arriving lately they probably be here around ten or twelve and that suited his plans just perfect. Any other teenager might have probably questioned what his parents were doing working or even been worried, but Allen had learned long ago that it was better for him if he involved himself as little as possible with his parents. 

Saleh’s house, if it could be called that, was a three story elegant house with an attic that had a large garden with rare plants, a black marble pool, and a small guest house in the back where Rita, their maid, lived. It was also one of the oldest buildings in Evergreen, having belonged to his family for several generations. Not a bad place to live if you didn’t mind the company, which Allen very much did. Hopefully, if everything went to plan, he’d be leaving soon.

Opening the door Saleh heading quickly to the kitchen where he found Rita slicing some vegetables for the meal she was cooking. 

“So how did your day go Saleh?” asked Rita in a plain voice without looking up from her work as he slid onto one of the kitchen counters, as was the custom whenever she saw him after school. Allen shrugged his shoulders. “Ok I guess. What about you?” Saleh asked despite knowing that Rita would only tell him so much.

Rita had been working for their family for two years now, after their last maid, Beth, had to quit to go take care of her sick aunt. Unlike Beth, who spoke freely and been an excellent person to hold a conversation with, Rita kept anything that wasn’t related to her work to herself, which while of course her prerogative, made the silence that usually permeated the house even more unbearable. Rita was polite of course, and made excellent Italian food, but Saleh missed Beth deeply. Beth had been one of the few people he could speak to without worrying about his anxiety and scattered mind and had even taught him to cook a bit before she had to leave.

“It went well, the lasagna is almost ready. I just have to steam these vegetables and then everything should be done, but there's garlic bread if you want something to eat right now.” answered Rita crisply, dumping the vegetables into a pot.

Saleh nodded and grabbed a loaf of garlic bread, “ I’ll be upstairs for a few hours. I should be down somewhere close to seven. is that alright?” asked Allen. Rita sighed and just nodded. Allen thought that though Rita didn't like to associate with her employers the fact that her food went cold before they ate it annoyed her a lot. 

Throwing the door open Saleh threw his backpack onto the floor and grabbed one of the books he had been reading the night before from his dresser. Setting the loaf of garlic bread to the side he opened the book to where he finished reading last night. “.....The process of somatic cell replication is mitosis and is divided into different stages.” read Saleh out loud, absentmindedly pulling out a thick leather bound notebook from his desk drawer, opening it and grabbing a pen from the empty jar on his desk. Without looking he began writing down anything that might possibly be of any use from the chapter on cellular regeneration, stopping occasionally to take a bite of garlic bread. Saleh continued like that for about an hour before stopping halfway through the book and sliding the notebook back with three others like it in his desk. Standing up Saleh walked over out to the balcony where he had a clump of marigold flowers growing. 

The flowers were an orange-gold the shape of a ball of paper folded into itself, or at least they were normally. A few of the flowers had wilted, their petals drying up and its normally green stem yellowing. Looking at it more closely Saleh a few stems bent at odd angles, Saleh frowned, swearing that he had remembered seeing them healthy just yesterday. Or had that been the day before that. Looking back on it all that came up was blank. Saleh shook his head and grimaced, his thoughts scattering and leaving his mind blank for a few moments before remembering that it had been nearly four days since he had checked on them. Maybe a bird had gotten at them. Either way it seemed that he was getting worse if couldn’t remember the state of his own medicinal herbs. Maybe eating would help him. Better hurry and just fix them and head down to eat,” thought Saleh quietly, focusing his mind and willing his energy to reach the flowers.

As soon as his consciousness touched the flowers body Saleh winced, his own body feeling the plants pain. Pushing past it he slowly felt the whole of the plant, its broken body visible to another sense of sorts within his consciousness. Once he identified the problem area he pushed some of his energy through his fingertips, making his hand glow a soft, calming green, easing the plants pain and pushing it to remember its form state, feeding it the energy it needed to heal itself. In a few short minutes he watched as the flowers fixed themselves, their normal color coming back in seconds as soon as the damage was fixed.

As soon as he felt the plant healed completely Saleh removed his hand and examined it, the green glow gone. It seemed that all that reading on anatomy had helped. He hadn’t been able to connect with a living organism like that before Hannah’s death, with an echo of itself being shown within his mind. Either way though he could do without the pain that accompanied healing these days muddying his mind even further then the OCD did. Turning back, Saleh walked over and placed the book on human anatomy back on the shelf and headed out the door. The healing had left him hungrier than he already was.

* * *

It seemed that luck wasn’t on Allens side today. Entering the dining room he saw both of his parents sitting at the dining room table, a plate of Rita’s lasagna in front of them, both of them looking at him as he entered the room. Saleh’s father, Elias, a burly man with harsh brown eyes let out a grunt of annoyance as he saw his son enter the room. His mother, Marin, a robust woman with skin the color of teak, simply nodded at him. At least the both of them seemed to be in a pleasant enough mood.

Sitting down on one of the chairs near his mother Saleh crossed his arms and settled his eyes on the table linen, only looking up to nods thanks to Rita as she sat his plate before him. All of them were silent for a few moments before his father set his eyes on him, his distaste palpable to Allen without having to look at him. Saleh closed his eyes in preparation for the common outburst that would occur.

“Lift your head up,” barked Saleh's father, the annoyance clear in his voice, “ A man has learn how look another in the eyes otherwise nobody is ever going to respect you.”

“Yes dad, I understand” said Saleh quietly, trying to keep his tone as agreeable as possible.

“Speak up,” his father ordered, as he cut into his lasagna.

“Sorry dad,” replied Saleh, raising his voice just a little. His father grunted and turned to his mother, both of them beginning a discussion on work. Trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible Allen quietly ate his lasagna and tuned out both of his parent’s voices, choosing to focus on savoring the lasagna even though he had little appetite for anything these days. Saleh continued like that for the rest of the meal until his father turned the conversation topic from money to the new security measures at his office. 

“...the new head of security just sent out the order to install the new X-gene detectors for all locations,” said his father, wiping a bit of the sauce from the lasagna from his upper lip, “with all the new mutant attacks happening everybody’s worried so the board decided to update security. The newer models can now pick up any mutants within a hundred feet from the bank and send an alert to the guards. Rick is actually give us all a demonstration the day after tomorrow.”.

“A smart choice, “ said Saleh’s mother, nodding in approval, “You can’t be certain whose a mutant these days.”

Suddenly Saleh's father turned to him, “ I was actually thinking that you should join me for that,” said his father gruffly, “help you get a feel for where you’ll be working soon.”

Saleh tightened his grip on his fork, his mind trying to keep his mouth from shouting no. It was bad enough that his father worked for Creed Financial and wanted him to do the same, but actually setting foot in the building? Saleh might as well sign his own death certificate and be done with it. There wasn’t a mutant alive dumb enough who would willingly set foot at Creed Fianancial unless they wanted to be regsitered with Sentinel Servicess, or worse, arrested for threatening the peace. 

“I think I’m busy that day,” lied Saleh, trying hard to keep the panic out of his voice as well and think of the best excuse to get him out of the visit to Creedmoor. Immediately an idea came to him, “I have this really important test that I need to pass in calculus if I want to save my grade from slipping.” said Allen carefully, bracing his ears from the harsh sounds that would soon happen.

Saleh’s words had the desired effect, earning him a terrifying glare from his father. Anger always was the best way to distract him.

“I am well aware that you are something of idiot,” hiss father viciously, his hand bending the silverware, “ but are you really so stupid that you can’t keep up with basic math? Aren’t those drugs you take enough to help that useless brain of yours? It’s bad enough that you're basically a junkie but I at least thought that they had filled the empty head of yours with something useful instead of those useless books you’re always reading. Maybe if you actually exercised instead of malingering about you wouldn't need all that medication, but you can’t even do that.”

Saleh the threads on the table cloth, counting the small threads. Better to weather his father's anger then to be outed as a mutant. To the side he saw his mother shaking her head and sighing. She made it a point never to get in between the object of her husband's rage. “I’m sorry sir,” said Saleh quietly, mustering as much sincerity as he could. 

“Get out of my sight,” said his father venomously, anger visible in his eyes. Nodding, Saleh stood and walked out of the dining room, his father moving on to continue listing more of his unsavory characteristics to his mother. Saleh starred pointedly forward, ignoring the prickly sensation behind his eyes. His father had said worse before.

* * *

Evangeline Whedon was an attractive thirty something lawyer with sharp features and a fierce expression. She had once been a rising star in the Prosecutor 's office in Washington D.C. and may have become one of the youngest Assistant District Attorneys had it not been for the manifestation of her mutant abilities in her twenties. After that Evangeline Whedon had dropped off the face of the earth for two years before resurfacing again as a practicing lawyer at a mutant rights law firm in her home city. Evangeline was a cautionary tale of just how much a mutant could fall from grace if the wrong people knew your secrets. She was also his best shot at contacting the Underground.

Ever since Hannah had died and his powers had become nearly impossible to handle Saleh had dove deep into the internet searching for any lead that would take him to the Mutant Underground, his months spent scouring any mutant friendly website he could find on the web that might lead him to the elusive network. As could be expected from a group labeled by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, it was very well hidden. In fact, if Saleh hadn’t taken to scouring blogs and chat rooms he might never had gotten wind of Evangeline Whedon. After discovering her Saleh had launched a not so legal series of background checks on her and her former clients, and as luck would have it there was something fishy about a few of her cases. Some of her more at risk clients had disappeared shortly after they had lost property disputes or wrongful termination cases, dropping off the map like Evangeline had, only these ones had disappeared permanently. Having found that out Saleh investigated the woman herself and after several close calls and thousands of dollars spent on privacy software, he had found out that Evangeline had some ties with old allies of the now gone X-Men, ties dating back to some of the first reports of the Underground from Sentinel Services.

Saleh had literally jumped for joy when he had found that out. All the signs pointed towards Evangeline not only being affiliated with the Underground, but perhaps even being one of the leaders. If that was indeed the case and Evangeline was indeed one of the Underground leaders then he had a real chance of negotiating safe passage and training with the Mutant Underground to Mexico. Yet even that knowledge wasn’t enough to soothe his anxiety about the whole thing. If Evangeline was a leader then there was a good chance she knew exactly who he was and if she knew that then Saleh shuddered to think what would happen to him if he messed up. Prison might be the least of his problems if that was the case. 

“Good thing I have something to bargain with then.” muttered Saleh quitely, glancing at a flash drive next to his laptop. Shrugging off his fear Saleh focused on typing.

As Saleh wrote out his message he thought of the many different ways that this could backfire and get him or him and Evangeline arrested; he didn’t have any choice though. These were dangerous times to live in but at this point he was willing to risk anything. It might have been simpler to look for any Mutant Underground station that wasn’t on the other side of the country but he wasn’t exactly flush with chances. In fact this was his only choice and the source of that problem could be traced back to three reasons. 

Reason number one: his father was a head member of Creed Financial, one of the most powerful and notorious ant-Mutant organizations in the world. This meant that his father had installed specially designed tracking and protection software to keep out many unwanted intruders, meaning that conversely all internet in the house was heavily monitored, making it impossible for Saleh to communicate with most mutant friendly sites that could lead him to the Underground. In fact, it had been a miracle that he had even managed to set up a program that would keep his own personal activities a secret. Thankfully there were plenty of hackers who would do almost anything when offered thousands of dollars in crisp twenty dollar bills.

Reason number two: while he could have simply traveled to Oakland and contacted some people allied with the Mutant Underground his powers had prevented it. Since Hannah's death his powers developed in a way that made him highly sensitive to the emotions and feelings of other living organisms, meaning that he would feel and exact echo of what others feeling. Evergreen was taxing enough on his frayed mind as it was with his medications helping, but a city like Oakland would at the very least send him to hospital incapicitated, whereupon he would be discovered as a mutant and all his plans would be ruined. In fact Saleh theorized that if his powers continued to grow without training the cacophony of feelings might kill him or put him in a coma; in other words, he needed teachers and only the Underground could help him

Reason three and probably the worst: Saleh was a member of the Ondore family, one of the main shareholders in Creed financial, making him anti-mutant royalty. His face and name were plastered on webpages holding photos of the various gala charity events sponsored by Creed Financial that he had been forced to attend in the past, meaning that his identity was out there for anybody to look up and Saleh had no doubt that the leadership of the Underground was well acquainted with the leaders of Creed Financial and their families, most likely as a precaution given that his father’s bank funded various Purifier chapters and anti-mutant politicians. Any attempt by him to contact the Underground would be met with warranted suspicion at least and Saleh had no doubt that they would probably refuse to help him out based on principle alone, not considering the fact that if it were discovered by the authorities that they were helping the sixteen year old son of such a prominent anti-mutant family escape to Mexico it would be viewed as kidnapping and be used as an excuse to crack down on mutants everywhere. 

“Still, what else can I do,” muttered Saleh under his breath as he finished typing out the email. Whatever moral dilemmas he might face the matter of the fact was that he couldn’t continue as he was. If his parents found out he was a mutant they would not hesitate to deal with him in clean and sensible manner and given the state of how things were that was only a matter of time. His powers were growing rapidly, their empathetic component leaving him constantly tired and in pain. If they continued growing at this rate he would most likely end up dead one day while at school. If he wanted to live then he needed the help of the Mutant Underground and fast. Otherwise Saleh would be the third dead kid in Evergreen in less than a year.

Without further ado Saleh pressed send and closed his laptop. Now all that he could do was wait and hope he hadn't unleashed a deluge of trouble on himself. Letting out a tired sigh Saleh stood up and walked towards the trunk at the foot of his bed. Kneeling down Saleh opened the lid and took stock of the various bottles and jars that held all the remedies he had made recently. Poppy and valerian for peaceful sleep, marigold and goldenrod for cuts and infections, yarrow for poison, aloe for burns and countless other berries, leaves, strips of bark and roots for whatever injuries and illnesses Saleh might encounter. A doctor could find all of these things and burst out laughing with incredulity at the thought of actually using these things to treat a patient. They'd be right in most cases, but few other herbalists had Saleh’s mutation, which both healed and strengthened anything it came in contact. Many of the injured and sick animals in Evergreen could attest to that, especially the fox with the infected gash on his stomach last week.

As he took silent inventory Saleh noted that he was out of sweet sedge. Looking at his watch Saleh noted that it was only 10:30. If he hurried he could travel to the moorland nearby and gather some before it got too late. Snatching his bag and car keys from his desk Saleh tiptoed down the stairs into the dark hallway and found all the light's off. It seemed everybody else had gone to bed. With soft steps Saleh approached front door and opened it gently, careful to not make any lordsounds. His parent's could be absent but they would certainly object to him leaving at such a late hour. As soon as he was out the door Saleh rushed into his car and jammed the key into the ignition, pulling out of the driveway quickly, making way for the moor.

The night sky was blue, silver stars piercing the night sky as the new moon hung in the air. It made for pleasant driving. Rolling down the windows allen relished at the feel of the sharp night air, the thoughts cluttering his mind being blown away by the wind. Suddenly everything seemed easy and simple with no reason to fear. He continued like that for about twenty minutes before everything came to a sharp and jarring halt, literally, as a flash of light and pain blinded him. Salen slammed on his breaks and panted as the sudden stream of pain raced through his body. Looking up Saleh saw a prone body with an arm twisted at an odd angle lying just a few feet in front of his car.

Ripping his seat belt off Saleh stepped out of his car and saw the bruised body of Clay Jensen in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Clay Jensen was not my friend. We were simply acquaintances back then, in the time before. Just people who ran into each other in the halls of Liberty. We exchanged pleasantries and had worked on a few history projects together and that was it. That isn’t to say that he wasn’t a nice guy. He was a little scatterbrained, but nice overall. I wouldn't have been opposed to being friends with him. Clay was an intelligent, open minded guy with pro-mutant leanings. Better than most of the guys at Liberty but before I found him half dead there just wasn’t any ...reason, I guess would be the word, to be friends. After that night though, there wasn’t any choice but to be friends. I didn’t resent it, but as the Jewish say, a person who saves the life of a person is forever responsible for that life from then on. _

* * *

The pain coming from Clay was excruciating, stabbing Saleh’s ribs, head, and left leg with pain sharp enough to make Saleh buckle and kneel down next to a small pool of blood on the ground coming from a head injury on Clay’s forehead. Without pausing to think Saleh reacted and clutched Clay’s shirt, lifting it to reveal an ugly bruise on his side. If he didn’t do anything to help Clay Saleh would soon be joining him on the road passed out beside him, leaving Clay to die soon after if the pain he was feeling was any indication. Gently, Saleh trailed his fingers against the bruised skin, a faint green glow emanating from his fingertips. In an instant the world turned a mixture of gray, black and white, with Clay’s injuries becoming highlighted in clear detail. 

Remembering all that he had learned in the past month from treating injured and sick animals Saleh moved to examine Clay’s organs, looking for any dark spots that would indicate internal bleeding or damage. Spotting a few near his liver Saleh focused his energy on burning the small ruptures shut, stopping the hemorrhaging and burning away the traces of leftover blood. With that done Saleh quickly moved onto examining Clay’s bones, letting out a moan relief now that some of the pain had abetted.

Clay’s ribs were covered with fractures, the cracks forming a spiderweb on the bones. Adjusting the strange form of sight he possessed Saleh focused on the center of the injury where whatever had injured Clay had shattered the bone into several pieces. Pushing past the echo of Clay’s pain Saleh gathered his strength and focus to pull together the fragments of broken bone, the green energy from his hand spreading out like the roots of a plant to pick up all the pieces, pulling them towards the jagged area of the broken ribs. As Saleh painstakingly pieced together the bone he let out a silent prayer of thanks that he had taken special time to memorize the human skeleton. Healing Clay’s ribs was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, the green energy slowly fitting the bone pieces into place, transmitting the feel of the bone to his mind just as if he was doing this by hand. Saleh continued like that until the last piece of bone was set into place.

With the hard part over Saleh slowly steadied himself to his knees and spread the green energy to cover the whole of Clay’s ribcage. It was an exhausting effort, coaxing the bones to grow and heal over the fractures, mending the damage as if encouraging a plant to grow. Once the bone finished growing and mending on that area Saleh moved on to Clay’s spine, eyes sharp on the lookout for any swelling and fractures. Luckily there were none, though Saleh poured some energy just to make sure before moving on to mend the bones in Clay's leg, repeating the same process he had done on the ribs. 

Satisfied, Saleh tentatively moved to focus on Clay’s head. He had rarely worked with head injuries, having only practiced on concussed animals he had found on the side of the road but Saleh was more or less confident that he could fix any damage he would find. Taking a deep breath Saleh held his breath and plunged into Clay’s brain. Whatever happened, he didn’t want to risk Clay dying from lack of attention.

The injury to Clay’s head wasn’t as bad as he had feared. There were hairline fractures on his skull but that was easily fixed in a few minutes. The more worrisome part was the swelling on Clay’s brain tissue. Refocusing the green energy Saleh spread it out like a balm, using to soothe the tissue back to normal. Devoting extra energy to task Saleh probably spent about half an hour on it before he felt comfortable that the swelling had gone down and was back to normal

When Clay’s pain had diminished to just a few aches and pains Saleh pulled back tiredly and examined his work. Clay’s internal injuries were all fixed though Clay would probably be extremely sore when he woke up. The only signs of Clay’s injures were a series of nasty bruises and a half healed gash on his forehead. Saleh could have easily healed those but he was all ready to collapse from exhaustion. Never before had he done such extensive healing in one go. 

_ “Still, it’s better if I give him one last going over before I call it quits,” _thought Saleh to himself, glancing all over Clay’s body. Taking one deep breath Saleh called the green energy to his hands once more and poured it all over Clay’s body. Turning his thoughts into abstract, Saleh hummed as he work, directing thought into making Clay feel better through sheer will and effort. Saleh had used his power like this before in the beginning, before he learned how to focus it to heal a specific area or problem. It was draining work and doing this Saleh knew he would be lucky if he was still conscious by the time he was finished. 

Another half hour passed but by the time he was done Saleh as glad that he had done it. The only serious injuries left on Clay were the bruises and gash from before. Satisfied with his work Saleh staggered back to his feet and moved back to rest on the hood of his car. Lying down on it Saleh lifted his arm with effort to look at his watch. The time on it read 1:30 AM. He had spent about three hours healing Clay Jensen. Saleh frowned and would have bashed his head onto his car and cursed his stupidity if weren’t so tired.

Saleh had spent three hours in the middle of a public road where anybody could see him healing Clay. Granted, it was the middle of the night and few people were likely to be out driving on this stretch of road at this time of night but that wasn’t the point. If anybody had seen the little light show Saleh had put on he would have been carted off to the nearest police cell for not only using his mutant powers in public, but probably also for attempted murder. Saleh wasn’t stupid, he knew what people would have thought if they had seen him. Injured white male teenager from a middle class family passed out while a mutant of color in a dark jacket knelt before him with his hands glowing next to an expensive car? To the cops it would be a story as old as time. 

“Still, it wasn’t like I could let Clay die,” said Saleh out loud to himself, rambling on in a hushed tone, “ There wasn't any time for an ambulance to get here and if I had then they would have called my parents and then they'd have have ransacked my room and found out about Evangeline and the hardrive which would end with me in a collar and an orange jumpsuit.”

_ “Or to a hidden lab in the middle of nowhere belonging to Trask industries,” _ Saleh’s treacherous mind supplied, making him shudder. That was an altogether too real possibility. His parents knew Roderick Campbell and they actually considered him a friend, the both of them smitten by the story of his sick brother and Dr. Campbell’s devoted research. Saleh didn’t doubt for a second that they would hand him over to deal with their errant mutant son so he could fix him. Prison was definitely the better option out of the two. 

Throwing himself forward Saleh looked at Clay’s prone form. He was at a crossroads as to what he could do, the possibilities straining his already tired mind. As Saleh cycled through his choices, evaluating all possible consequences, only one of them felt right. He had to take Clay with him. Clay might be healed enough that Saleh could feel comfortable foregoing calling the ambulance but for all of his self preservation instinct Saleh couldn't just leave the boy here and risk him being further injured then he already was. Mind made up Saleh knelt down and carefully lifted Clay up, slinging his arm over his shoulder, supporting Clay’s weight with his back. Saleh grunted and buckled a bit before steadying himself enough to walk towards his car, managing to open the passenger car door with one hand. With as much care as he could Saleh slid Clay into the car seat, mindful not to hurt the boy. Strapping him in Saleh stepping back and took a good look at the unconscious boy in his car.

Clay was was somewhere around 5’10 with brown hair and clear blue eyes. His skin was unusually pale, slightly tinged blue from the cold autumn weather. Clay had a pleasant face to look at with a firm jaw and a sharp expression that made you feel like an idiot. The only thing that ruined his image was a half healed injury on his forehead which gave his skin an unhealthy yellow color, as it were festering. Saleh frowned at the sight of it and debated whether or not he should heal it.

From what Saleh could recall Clay had had that injury for a long time now. Angling his head Saleh noticed it had a bit of scab covering it now. It was a nasty wound, but Saleh wasn’t that surprised to see it on Clay. From what few conversations he had had with Hannah he knew that she and Clay had been somewhat close before her death. As a matter affect Hannah had spent more than a few minutes regaling him with tales of Clay’s sarcasm and deadpan humor. 

In any case the months after Hannah’s death had not been that kind on Clay. Back then whenever he had been around Clay Saleh would get swamped by a tide of confusion and frustration and anger and grief. It would have been enough to send him running for the hills and had certainly been more than enough reason for Saleh to spend several History blocks camped out in the library and that was without Saleh taking into account the rather furious outburst he had given a tour of foreign exchange students. That particular event had left Saleh calling in sick for two days. At least Clay’s shadow, Tony Padilla, had done something to help the boy, leaving him in a more stable state than before.

Sliding into the driver's seat Saleh could only wonder as how he was going to explain this to Clay. Maybe he’d be understanding and thankful about the whole thing. After All, Saleh had saved his life. Surely the guy would be grateful, especially when he explained.

Saleh snorted at the thought. His luck wasn't that good. Starting up the car Saleh cursed as he remembered that he was still out of sweet sedge. Today really suck, to put it plainly. That was when he remembered that Clay’s bike was still on the road.

Maybe he should have left Clay in the middle of the road. 

* * *

_ As a highschool student the term catalyst came up a few times in my studies. Simply put, a catalyst is an object that causes a great change that might otherwise not happen without it. In my case Clay Jensen was the catalyst that put me on the path that led me to create this little journal. The catalyst that led to me becoming one of the most wanted fugitives in the country. In Clay’s defense I don’t think he planned it that way. _

_ Don’t mistake me. I’m not complaining about the path my life took. In fact, many of the decisions which led to me becoming a criminal were ones I may have come to deeply regret not choosing. Choices that spared the lives of innocents and prevented great bloodshed. Ones that kept me and my few friends alive, even if it came at the cost of my freedom. Choices Clay Jensen was partly responsible for. _

_ Still, despite everything it is hard not to resent the friend Clay became to me in the dark days of discrimination, war, and smuggling that he often convinced me to play a role in. My life would have been much simpler if I had just let Clay alone on the road that fateful night. Not dead of course, but just alone. I would have been able to enjoy a quiet life in Mexico, away from all the conflict that mired my life. _

_ Still, I chose to save his life, and once that deed was done there was no going back. _

* * *

By the time Saleh made it back to the house it was close to 2:00 AM and the lights were still on in the places that his parent’s offices were located. Places which were inconveniently located close to the front door. Saleh groaned and banged his head on the steering wheel of his car. It was official. he hated his life. 

Licking his lips Saleh glanced over to the still unconscious Clay, thinking of the best way to get into the house undetected. His best bet was the back door, even though it was way too close to his parents office for his comfort. It would be difficult but it could be done. Even if it involved carrying a few hundred pounds of unconscious teenage boy. Even if he was still worn out from healing said pounds of unconscious boy.

Letting out one last groan Saleh got out of the car and went over the passenger seat. Once the door was open Saleh undid Clay’s seat belt and placed the boy over his shoulder again. It wasn’t as difficult as before but Clay was still heavy and he was very tired. Still, mindful of his injuries Saleh lifted Clay and began walking slowly and quietly around back, sliding the iron door open softly. Saleh got just as far as the pool before nearly dropping Clay from fright unto the manicured grass, his gaze stuck on a pair of startled brown eyes.

Rita stood before Saleh wearing a T-shirt, sweats, and a hoodie, her usually proper face slack jawed. Both of them stood staring at each other for a few moments before Saleh looked down and saw a frying pan in her left hand. Had this been any other moment Saleh would have burst out laughing at the absurdity of the scenario. This wasn’t the appropriate time though. 

“What the hell do you think you are?!” whispered Rita viciously, her tone overflowing with outrage, as if Saleh was personally offending her. “Beth told me that this was a quiet house and that you were a mellow kid, but here you are showing up with an injured white kid! Are you crazy!?”

Saleh jerked his head back in surprise. Rita was usually so prim and proper that seeing her so pissed off surprised him. And what did she mean by saying that Beth told her that this was a quiet house? Saleh stood there trying to find his voice before he remembered that he was standing in front of her with an injured, passed out, teenager. 

“Look I’m sorry,” whispered Saleh back urgently, thoughts racing, “but my…friend...here got drunk and called me to pick him up. He was passed out when I found him.”

“Then why not take him home?” snapped back Rita, placing her free hand on her waist, “ His parents must be worried. Or what, are you covering for him and thought that just because I work for your parents that I have to put up with your messes? Well think again! Beth was obviously lying to me about this job if really are running around pulling this kind of crap!”

Saleh flinched. Beth might be gone but she was still his friend. Who was Rita to criticize her? Bristling and angered at the implication that Beth was a liar, Saleh glared at Rita. “Beth isn’t a liar,” snarled Saleh silently, “and if she really told you about me then you know I don’t pull this kind of this without a really effing good reason, such as helping a friend who got himself in a bad situation without meaning to. I'm not like Bryce or Winston and you know that so now please get out of my so I can help my friend..”

Rita narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils as if she wanted to hit him. Saleh glared back and stood his ground. Rita might have the upperhand at this moment but Saleh was too tired and angry to care. As the staring contest dragged on Saleh was about to push his way past her when she spoke.

“Get the boy into my place,” said Rita briskly, the anger vanishing from her voice, “Your parents are up working on some stuff and there walking in and out of the kitchen. No way are you going to sneak your friend through the back without getting caught. better to just get him to my place.” Without another word Rita turned around began walking to the guest house, stopping only once to give Saleh a gesture to hurry up.

Stunned, Saleh simply followed Rita and entered her home. It wasn’t like he could just walk into the house through the back door, especially if his parents were up and about. Sighing in resignation Saleh followed Rita into the guest house. This really wasn’t a good night for him.

The guest house was a one story building with two beds and baths and would have looked like it belonged in any random neighborhood in Evergreen. The inside was pleasantly decorated and furnished with a high end kitchen, living room, and a plasma television with a few books scattered about, all dog eared and well worn. As Saleh entered the living room Rita closed the door behind them and hurried to spread a blanket on the large couch. Nodding in thanks Saleh laid Clay onto the couch while Rita stepping behind the kitchen counter, her face expressionless.

“So you mind telling me what happened,” asked Rita sharply as she rummaged through one of the cupboards. 

“I told you. My friend went to a party, got drunk and called me to pick him up.he was passed out when I found him, “ lied Saleh, as he made sure Clay was comfortable.

“Liar,” said Rita as she kept rummaging, “You don’t have friends. Besides no way your friend got those bruises from passing out from being drunk.”

“I have friends,” replied Saleh defensively, startled that Rita had called him out, “and I’m telling you the truth.”

Rita snorted and pulled out a rag from the cupboard. “Please. No you don’t. Beth told me that you didn’t have anyone aside from that girl killed herself. And yes, no you aren’t.”

“How do you know that,” said Saleh sharply, an uncomfortable feeling pricking his insides, “ and how do you know Beth. What? Are you pen pals or something? Were you best friends or something.”

Pulling some ice from the freezer Rita wrapped the cloth around them. Without replying Rita walked over and placed the rag on Clay’s head. “First of all, nobody that has any friends mopes around like you. Second, not that it’s any of your business, but Beth and I are friends. She told me about this job- how easy it was, which it isn’t- that it was great, the pay was good, came with a place to sleep and told me to get it. She also told me to keep an eye on the mouthy mutant kid that came along with it as well, as a favor, of course.”

Saleh jerked back in surprise and fought the overwhelming urge to runaway. Everything was going wrong. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This could ruin his plans. He should have just left Clay on the road and called the ambulance.

“Hey kid are you still there?” said Rita gently, looking at him with concern in her eyes. 

“How did Beth find out about?” croaked out Saleh, a feeling of betrayal settling in his stomach, “Why did she tell you about me?”

Rita shoulders slumped down and her mouth grimaced. Just from being near her Saleh could pick out vague feelings of guilt and shame. Sighing Rita placed the rag safely on Clay forehead and turned towards him. 

“Kid look, Beth was just looking out for you,” explained Rita gently, “ she knew what went on in that house and she knew she couldn't just leave you alone with wolves when she left so she called me and asked me to take the job when she had to leave. Beth told me everything I needed to know and told me to look out for or you however I could.”

Saleh flinched. Beth had told her about the fights? Shaking his head Saleh repeated the question he desperately wanted an answer to. “How did she know about me?

Rita shrugged and twisted the ring on her left hand. “She found out about you when you were somewhere around twelve. Saw you kneeling down next to a bush with your hands glowing. Put two and two together and figured out you were mutant, made up her mind that it was better if your parents didn’t know, and she covered for you as much as she could and made sure your parents didn’t suspect anything. Did a good job of it too.”

“So Beth knew this whole time about me?” questioned Saleh anxiously, uncertain as to what was happening. He had spent so many years hiding and looking over his shoulder that he couldn’t believe that Beth had known. Saleh wasn’t even sure that he believed Rita, but why would she lie? After all it had been Beth that recommended her, and Beth had always been kind to him, helping him after he dealt with his parent’s moods , “ Did she know what I could do?” Rita shook her head.

Saleh choked on relief. At least that part of his secret was safe. Yet, as Saleh contemplated what Rita had told him he could not help but wonder exactly just how much Beth had known. She had been with his family for years, long enough for her to have packed his lunches for school long after his parents had left for work. She had always been there with him to to talk about the bad days at school and would sneak him sweets whenever dinner was taking too long. Beth had even made sure that he was always taking his medications on time back when the sight of the little white pills had made him grind his teeth. Now though, despite all that, Beth was a person who had known his secret. A person who could destroy his life with a few whispered words. 

_ “But she never told,” _ Saleh’s mind pointed out softly _ , “she could have told anybody at any point but she didn’t.” _

_ “She told Rita, “ _Saleh thought back angrily, his mind tearing his thoughts into a million pieces.

_ “Only to look after you.” _the voice replied calmly.

Gnashing his teeth Saleh turned to face Rita. " Do you know what I could do, my ability I mean?" asked Saleh sharply. Rita shook her head. Suddenly the anger Saleh felt left him, the sudden bravado now gone. Rita knew everything. What was the point of him denying that he was a mutant anymore? Might as well tell Rita and be done with it. She hadn’t turned him into the tender mercies of his parents. What would be the harm in truth?

“I was out fetching something,” said Saleh softly, moving to press the ice pack on Clay’s head, “driving when I found him lying passed out on the road as if he’d been run over by a car or something. The guy was bleeding out on the ground so I stopped and tried to fix him up the best that I could. That’s my power, healing people. I did the best I could and I managed to fix the worst of damage. 

Rita stared at him for a few more minutes before standing up and walking over to the counter. She spread her hands on the granite, silently tapping it with her fingernails. The look on her face was one of anxiety. She had never asked for any of this. He shouldn’t have ever put her in this position, but Saleh had no choice. Clay needed care and this was the best he could do under the circumstances. 

Rita let out a sigh of resignation. “What do you need kid?” Rita asked, her eyes suddenly a lot older than they were. 

“I need to get my medicine bag from the car,” answered Saleh, adjusting Clay’s head on the cushion. “Most of the damage Clay suffered is fixed but I’d feel better if I applied some of my remedies.” 

Rita nodded. “ Go get it, I’ll take care of the kid meanwhile.” Shaking his head in gratitude Saleh let Rita take his place and rushed out the door back to his car.

As Saleh reached his car and opened the passenger door he looked around the cluttered back of his car. All around were piles of books and crumpled bags of candy and muffin wrappers littering the back of his car. Grimacing Saleh began rummaging through the mess to find the bag he had taken with him to collect the sweet sedge. After several minutes he pulled a brown fabric satchel with coffee stains triumphantly from underneath a physics textbook. Saleh opened it to make sure everything was still intact, inspecting the various jars, bottles, and boxes for their contents. Satisfied with it Saleh ran back to Rita’s house.

“I have everything I need, “ announced Saleh as he entered.

Rita grunted in response. Gently Saleh knelt besides Clay, pulling out a small green glass jar and a soft makeup brush from his bag. Unscrewing the lid Saleh revealed a thick cream colored paste and dabbed a bit on his brush. Gently, Saleh smeared it across his forehead. As he applied the paste he could feel Rita look at him questioningly.

“The paste is a mixture of comfrey, lavender, and a few other things used to alleviate pain and stop infection,” said Saleh as he finished applying the paste, “When Clay wake’s up he is going as sore as can be and this help him deal with the pain.”

“So this stuff actually works?” asked Rita doubtfully, “ Why not just give him Ibuprofen and be done with it.”

“I could do that but this will soothe the pain and heal him as he sleeps” explained Saleh “and when he wakes up, I would like to feel well so he doesn’t freak out when I tell him I’m a mutant.”

“So you’re going to tell your non friend that you are a mutant,” asked Rita incredulously, “Why not just fix him up and not tell him?”

“I could do that,” agreed Saleh, “but if he remembers that he was hit by a car he’s going wonder why he isn’t at a hospital and why he isn’t more injured and I don’t know what to tell him.”

Rita shook her head, “You should have just taken the boy to the hospital and avoided this mess.”

Saleh grimaced at Rita’s words. She was right in a way. Were things different Saleh would have just called the ambulance and dealt with the consequences but with that email sent to Evangeline and the flash drive hidden in his desk he couldn’t risk it. The plan had to be kept on track if he wanted to survive. Otherwise he’d be lucky to join Hannah at the cemetery and that would be the best case scenario for him. Without another word he pulled out vial that he hoped would help Clay wake up soon. 

“Can you hold his head,” Saleh asked Rita, showing her the vial, “ I need Clay to drink this so he can wake up soon.”

“Are you sure that all this plant remedy thing is going to work?” asked Rita critically as she walked over to the couch again, “Why not just use real medicine?”

Saleh shook his head tiredly, “It will, I promise. My powers don’t just heal, they make things stronger, boosting them. I treat all the plants I use for my remedies with them and the medicinal properties they have become like pharmacy grade medicine.”

Rita’s eyes darkened for a moment before she lifted Clay’s head up. “My neighborhood would have loved you. Most of them couldn’t afford to go to the hospital. “

“ I guess,” said Saleh cautiously, unsure as to how to respond to Rita’s statement. 

Rita snorted. “No guessing about kid. They’d be all over you. They wouldn’t care about you being a mutant and all.”

What would that be like?To be wanted without question or fear? To be in a place where people wouldn’t torment you for being a mutant? It sounded like fairytale. Maybe Mexico would be like that thought Saleh as he poured the contents of the vial down Clay’s throat. 

“He should wake up before morning,” said Saleh as he stood up, “until then we should let him rest up. “

Rita opened her mouth to reply, but in that moment Clay's eyes snapped open, startling the both of them, the irises crystal blue and faceted without the race of a pupil.

  



	4. Chapter 4

** Entry 1**

** Hey, greetings, I guess, whatever. My name’s Clay Jensen and I guess that you are wondering why Saleh is letting me write in his journal. He told me that I should write my part of the story here for posterity and all that. Personally, I think he just doesn’t want me to feel left out as he goes around trying to save everybody all by himself but I suppose that there are parts of the story only I can tell. I'm not really into the whole "recording things for life thing", especially after everything that has happened but somehow I think that this is different somehow. A part of me thinks its stupid but I think he’s right and I feel like I should tell somone what happened. At least Saleh is finally teaching me his code. **

** Before I met Saleh my life was sort of a mess after everything that happened with Hannah and the tapes. I was really lost after- especially what with me discovering being a mutant and all that- for a long time but after meeting Saleh things got better, though albeit harder. Saleh really helped me come to terms with everything and saved my life like a dozen times, even if I did help screw up his life. It’s surprising that he doesn’t hate me, really. Then again that’s not really his nature.**

** Anyway there’s a bunch of shit that happened after we met. Hannah’s trial, the attempted murder of me, helping Justin, and the whole fiasco with the Mutant Underground. Yeah ...life was not easy but I like to think we did the best that we could, even if it meant fighting Purifiers, Trask Industries, Sentinel services, and a bunch of other bad guys we ran into. It was scary, and though I sometimes wish that I had never gotten involved I wouldn't go back and change anything.**

** Helping the Mutant Underground was probably the bravest thing I ever done in my whole life, but it wasn't like I could just ignore them, especially after my own mutant abilities emerged. How could I have lived with myself if I just stood by and watched as the world began to slowly turn against my people? That was the same mistake I made with Hannah and if just stood there doing nothing I would have made yet another huge mistake that I couldn’t take back. I’m not a hero though. There are a lot of other amazing and brave people who take that mantle. John, Clarice, Lauren, Saleh, Vignette...they were the real heroes of the story. I was just the supporting character. Not that I am complaining about that though. Looking at them I am awed and humbled and I can only hope that the choices I have made helped others like theirs did. **

** In any case as you read this I hope you can be inspired and do something to help out those in need. In your hands is the story of two stupid teenagers who tried to the right thing. Have fun and enjoy. Also, try not to get arrested for possession of seditious material.**


End file.
